The present invention relates to improvements in wound care management using improved anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory wound dressings.
It was not until the 19th century that cotton wool and gauze were commonly used to handle wounds, and cotton gauze is still often used in hospitals today as a wound dressing. The ideal wound dressing:
Removes excess exudate from the wound, but keeps the wound moist, preventing dehydration; wound exudate is in fact a bactericide which if left in position in moderate amounts tends to speed up the healing process
Allows gaseous exchange
Provides thermal insulation
Is impermeable to micro-organisms
Has low adherence properties
Is free from particulate and toxic contaminants.
However, the treatment of chronic wounds, ulcers and the like is a problem area where topical application of anti-microbial agents alone are ineffective in wound healing, due to a large extent to leaching of the anti-microbial agent from the wound site and the inability to be able to maintain an effective amount of the agent in contact with the wound site.
Modern fibre technology has allowed low concentrations of biocide to be incorporated into the fibres of the bandage or dressing, and in this way to prevent broad spectrum microbial growth in the target zone, and to allow the agent to remain effective over longer periods.
In recent time I have developed a product initially for veterinary applications, but which has potential for the treatment of humans, which utilises a gauze pad in an elastic bandage which is adapted to conform to the treatment site on the animal, wherein the textile material of the gauze pad incorporates the anti-microbial compound, Triclosan, within the interstitial spaces of the polymeric fibre material from which the gauze pad is fabricated.
This bandage or dressing has shown itself to be a potentially valuable product in improved wound care management, because of an unexpected apparently synergistic property of the Triclosan in this form of application, in not only preventing broad spectrum microbial growth and reducing inflammation in the target zone, but also in encouraging wound healing. However, there is room for improvement with this type of productxe2x80x94and especially in the area of more efficient delivery of the therapeutic agent to the wound care site and in increased therapeutically effective concentrations.
It is an object of the present invention to provide new or improved wound care dressings or bandages comprising therapeutically effective amounts of a therapeutic agent such as Triclosan which goes at least some way towards overcoming or at least minimising the prior art problems or limitations outlined above.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved form of bandage or dressing which allows for more efficient delivery of a therapeutic agent to the wound care site in increased therapeutically effective concentrations.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved form of bandage or dressing comprising a polymeric material (natural or synthetic) with one or more therapeutically active (e.g. anti-microbial) compounds incorporated within the polymeric matrix.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved form of bandage or dressing that incorporates a therapeutically active agent, or combination of agents useful in wound care management for the promotion of wound healing.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the following description.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a bandage or dressing for wound care management, comprising an outer fabric support, preferably an elastomeric fabric support, and an inner pad, wherein the inner pad includes an outer membrane surface, preferably fabricated from a film-forming material, and incorporating a therapeutically effective amount of one or more therapeutically active (e.g. anti-microbial) compounds including Triclosan in the matrix thereof. The pad may be integral with or separate from the outer fabric support. The Triclosan is ideally incorporated into the membrane matrix, but may also be incorporated into the material of the inner pad contained by the membrane.
The therapeutically active agent is held in the polymeric matrices, so that migration is inhibited, causing the controlled release of the agent.
The present invention also provides a method of making the therapeutically active bandage or dressing wherein one or more therapeutically active agents, including Triclosan, is incorporated into the device by blending the agent into the polymer resin before or during forming a film of the polymeric material.
According to another aspect of the invention, the wound dressing comprises an absorbent pad having a construction similar to that used in disposable diaper-, sanitary napkin- or incontinence clothing-construction, having a gas and/or liquid pervious body-side liner, a separate outer cover sheet (optionally liquid impervious) and an absorbent body disposed therebetween. The finer and/or the absorbent body are fabricated from materials which incorporate a therapeutically effective amount of one or more therapeutically active (e.g. anti-microbial) substances including Triclosan in the matrix or interstitial spaces thereof, to ensure that the therapeutically active substances(s) is/are in constant close proxmity to the wound site.
According to the present invention, the term xe2x80x9ctherapeutically effective amountxe2x80x9d means an amount of therapeutic (anti-microbial) agent and/or mixture thereof which is capable of promoting wound healing and retarding or preventing microbial colonisation and adherence to the surface of the polymeric materials used herein while causing minimum undesirable side effects when in contact with living tissue.